Nostalgia Trip VR Game Pixel Ripped 1989 Coming This May

The art of making video games is miraculous. Honestly, the simple fact that any games ever get released at all is unbelievable. The amount of work and passion required to piece together lines of code, painstakingly animate art, and provide an actually fun, engaging experience for players is tantamount to any other creative feat out there. So when a game that’s highly anticipated and widely publicized seems to fall off the face of the planet for years, people take notice.

Pixel Ripped 1989, a VR game about retro gaming, is one such example. It’s been through hell and back in its quest to finally see the light of day. Its development began as a student project by now Creative Director Ana Ribeiro years and years ago so it’s taken considerable time and effort to get it to a finalized state. All the way back in 2015 outlets like PC Gamer, Kotaku, and more covered the game (even back when it was known as Pixel Rift instead).

Now, despite the silence and in the face of the odds, Pixel Ripped 1989 looks like it’s finally ready to release. Pixel Ripped 1989 will release digitally on PSVR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive on May 22nd, 2018. Now, it’s a collaborative effort by Ribeiro and co-developer ARVORE.

“The most difficult part of development is over,” says Ribeiro in a prepared statement. “We are in the final steps to deliver Pixel Ripped 1989 very soon to all of our fans. Being at GDC and showcasing our finished game to press is a dream come true, and we’re looking forward to the public’s reaction next month in Boston.”

For those totally unaware, Pixel Ripped 1989 is really a game within a game. Players take on the role of Nicola, a second-grade student that is enamored with an 8-bit style handheld game system featuring a game starring pixelized game character, Dot. The two worlds end up merging and it’s up to you to save both without getting caught playing in class.

Anyone that’s played Duck Season and stuck through to the end will recognize some of the retro vibes on display here.

Is Pixel Ripped 1989 a VR game that you’ve been looking forward to for a while now? Let us know what you think down in the comments below!